Summary:
Jesus and Beelzebub
Verses 22-37
They brought Jesus a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. Jesus healed him and he could see and talk. The people were amazed and asked if this could be the Son of David.
The Pharisees heard this and claimed that Jesus drove out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons. Jesus knew their thoughts and responded:
- A kingdom divided against itself will fall.
- If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided; how can his kingdom stand?
- If Jesus drives demons out by Beelzebub, then by whom do the Pharisees drive demons out? They will be your judges.
- If He drives out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
- How can anyone enter a strong man's house to rob him, without first tying him up?
- Those not with Him are against Him. Those that don't gather with Him will scatter.
"And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." (Verses 31-32)
- If a tree is made good, its fruit will be good. If it's made bad, so will its fruit be bad. A tree is recognized by its fruit.
Jesus called the Pharisees a brood of vipers. He asked how they, who were evil, could say anything good. The mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart. A good man produces good from what he has stored up in himself. A bad man produces bad from what he has stored. Men will give an account on judgment day for the careless words they spoke. You will be acquitted or condemned by your words.
Lori's Thoughts:
The devil had a stronghold on the man Jesus healed. Maybe a demon was sent to keep this man from talking about Jesus. Maybe a demon was sent to keep him from seeking Jesus or seeing His miracles. If we have not received the Holy Spirit and allowed Him to purge sin from us, then the devil can by all means put strongholds on us to make it difficult to accept Jesus.
If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, then you have the ability to cast out demons by His Name. But, the demons will bring more demons and stronger demons to work harder to bring you down. If you don't fill up the spaces they've left with the Holy Spirit, they will succeed. So, make sure you accept Jesus as your Master as well. Serve Him and stop sinning. Keep sinning and you serve Satan.
Those that don't know Jesus and speak against Him, those friends of mine claiming to be atheist or agnostic, will be forgiven. They have not yet come to really know Christ. Those that have met Christ, spiritually, but deny the Holy Spirit, will be condemned. It's not the non-believers we should worry about in this situation. It is the Christians. I believe the devil works harder against you once you accept Christ. So, if you are not fully committed, God legally cannot block Satan from having a stronghold against you. However, you cannot be saved without accepting Jesus. This first step must be taken.
Jesus tells us to carry each others' burdens. We must pray for each other to stand against the flaming arrows of the evil one.
If the eyes are the window to the soul, then your words are a reflection of your heart. If you speak words of hope and of life, so is your heart full of hope and life. In fact, it overflows with the fruit of the Spirit. If you speak words of doubt and condemnation, with such things is your heart filled.
Give your heart to Jesus. Yes, the devil will attack you, but One greater than the devil will protect you, if you completely surrender to Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment